You see austerity sounds right. At home, when you are financially in the shit, you need to stop spending and start saving, that’s the best way to get out of debt.

But, with national economies the opposite applies. Which sounds mental, but it’s true. The best way to fix an economy and reduce debt is for the economy to grow. For the economy to grow, you need to spend. The government needs to spend, banks and big business need to spend and we need to spend. Only when the money is flowing will an economy grow.

With a growing economy, everyone has more money and the government collects more in tax, so it doesn’t have to borrow as much. Bye bye deficit.

The conservatives ignored advice from the worlds leading economists and forced a harsh austerity programme that froze our economy. The government stopped spending, banks and big business stopped spending and we stopped spending. There was no growth, tax receipts fell and the government has had to borrow more than ever before.

They tell us they fixed the economy, and only they are competent to be trusted with it.

In the last year or so we have had some growth, but only because Osborne temporarily abandoned austerity and started spending (you know, what the economists said at the start). They had to, an election was looming. However, they have maintained the line that austerity is fixing the economy. It is an outrageous lie. But it is a believable one because if we were in debt at home, that’s what we would do, stop spending.

And it is a lie with consequences, because if they get re-elected, the conservatives will bring back austerity. Harsher than ever. It won’t help the economy. It won’t help you.

Austerity isn’t about fixing the economy, it is about reducing the state, enabling more privatisation, and keeping wages low, so big business can continue to reap the benefit without spreading the rewards.

The only thing that will grow is inequality. In the last five years, the richest 1% have doubled their wealth. Have you?

The poor will get poorer. Wages will continue to stagnate, and living standards will fall.

But the Conservatives fixed the economy. If you say it enough times it must be true.